New Year's Eve
by The Ramen Club
Summary: A time for new beginnings, new chances and maybe a better understanding of how the world works. [Multiple pairings. Multiple POV]


**DISCLAIMER:** I DO NOT OWN NARUTO!

* * *

**New Year's Eve**

Hinata Hyuga was awfully uncomfortable in her oversized sweater dress and black stockings. She stood in the corner holding a plastic cup of what looked like punch, as she watched the others mingle and bond. Her first New Year's Eve party and, hopefully, her last. More people kept filing in from the entrance, filling up the living room till it was hard to even move an elbow. This was something she wasn't used to. She had been to parties before, even sleepovers, but to be stuffed in a room with over a hundred other people was not as exciting as one would have thought. Still, she was there, and she had to at least make conversation with somebody, but she couldn't peel herself off the wall and so, just watched. New Year's Eve. She wondered what was so special about these parties in the first place. Ever since she started high school, she'd been hearing camp fire stories about them. Something surreal, something intimate, everlasting and infinite. A time when one feels alive. But all she wanted to do was go home. She fixed the ribbon tied to her hair, as she could feel it drooping down. It was the 5th time that evening. She had nothing better to do but keep count of it. The music was loud- almost deafening- and she slightly swayed her head to the beat. The song was quite catchy, and before she knew it, she started humming to it.

"Hey Hinata!" said a voice that almost made her jump. She turned her head to see the boy, his blond hair cut only inches away from his scalp, wearing a sweater that made him look like a mouldy orange, smiling at her with his canines showing. Suddenly her breath hitched in her throat. Hinata Hyuga really didn't like New Year's Eve parties.

* * *

Her plan was simple- to get the hottest boy in school to fall in love with her before the countdown, so they could share a magical kiss when everyone else would be greeting the coming year. But Ino Yamanaka's plan was on the verge of being crushed like a grape with a hammer, because she was not believing what she was seeing. Even after all the times he had yelled at her and tried to ignore her, Sasuke Uchiha, with his raven hair hanging over his eyes, had brought her best friend Sakura to the party as his date. She wondered if rubbing her eyes or pinching herself would make the vision go away, but this wasn't a nightmare she could wake up from. It was happening and it was happening in front of her as she watched with horror, seated on a white couch, gaping at the odd couple. Sakura's arm was linked to his and she was laughing, genuinely laughing like a preteen girl. The side Ino hadn't seen in years. She wanted to punch the wall, she wanted to flip the snack table, she wanted to kick the pillows that were neatly arranged on the couch then run up to Sakura from behind and pull at her disgustingly pink hair that made her cringe. And the worst part was, Sasuke seemed to not mind at all. In fact, if she had observed correctly, it seemed that he was having a good time. She felt nauseous, something burning in the back of her throat. Ino Yamanaka's plan was failing before it could even initiate.

* * *

Choji Akimichi couldn't understand why Ino had to drag him to the party. He was enjoying a peaceful evening of eating his mother's chocolate chip brownies cut in perfect squares, until she came barging through his front door. Sure he was a festive person, but if she wanted him to go to a party where he could watch her snog others, it wasn't the number one thing on his list of priorities before graduating. And yet there he was, distracting himself from thinking too much about the platinum blonde- who looked stunning in her form fitting purple dress- with cheese puffs and cream tarts set out on a snack table near the fireplace. This was how it had always been, and how it probably always will be- him watching her try to find the love of her life from a distant corner. She would say it and he would do it, just wait for the words to come out of her naturally pink lips. And yet, he always questioned himself if he was even going to go anywhere with it. Ino was the prettiest girl in all of Konoha Academy, one of his childhood friends, he couldn't comprehend why she had to literally throw herself at every other boy who would give her a wink or the brooding look. Choji Akimichi wondered, with his burly figure and abysmal appetite, if he was ever going to get a girl's attention.

* * *

Neji Hyuga was a model student- top of his class, part of almost every school club, debater, and running for student president. His life motto was to have unhinged confidence in one's capabilities, and that's exactly what he had. But did it help in gaining an intellectual friend circle? Probably not.

"Tenten, where's Lee?" he asked his friend with a look of worry.

"I don't know", she said flipping her dark chocolate brown bangs aside. "I was keeping an eye on him until a minute ago. But then he disappeared."

Never in his life had he imagined he would be stuck in a situation where his brain wasn't able to function as well as he wanted it to. Panic started seeping into his veins, as the music blasted in the background, making it even harder for him to think straight. As people nudged into him, pushing him, shoving him, he squinted to locate his lost friend with the help of the dim lights of the room. What was Tenten thinking, bringing him and Lee to a party like this? He was wearing a new white button down shirt, and he was afraid someone would spill a drink or their own bodily fluid on it. Tenten, with her hair set in a radical hairstyle of two buns and a braid going down the middle, suddenly grabbed his hand, making the tiny hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"Maybe if we stick together, we can find him," she shouted over the noise, her dark almond shaped eyes looking expectantly at him. Neji only nodded. What was worse about this situation, was that he wasn't going to get a chance to tell her something he had been keeping in the back cabinets of his mind for a long time. He hated parties, he hated immature teenagers, and worst of all, he hated a hyperactive Lee with a low tolerance to alcohol for messing his plan up.

* * *

Temari had almost had it. A month into the relationship and he had already started lying to her. She crumpled the plastic cup she had in her hand, making some of the contents spurt out. He was sleeping on the couch, his head back, body rising and falling as he took deep breaths. She wanted to yank him by the pony tail and slam him against the wall. But she had to remain calm. She was in a crowd, and what she didn't want after going back to school was to see a headline in the newspaper called 'Crazy Girlfriend Beats Up Boyfriend At New Year's Eve'. She was a mature individual so she had to think rationally. But the fact that he lied to her about something she was excited for, made her blood boil. Teeth grinding, fists clenching, she shook him vigorously, shouting his name. The last thing she wanted to do was to create a scene, but thankfully, the loud music was serving as an advantage to drown out her gruff voice. Heck, even Shikamaru couldn't hear it, but he opened his eyes sleepily from all that motion his body was being subjected to. And immediately he jumped back, feet propped up on the couch as he saw her standing there in a grey jumper and black pants, hands on her hips, glaring down at him. She was going to make this party a living hell for him.

* * *

Hinata still couldn't find her voice to speak. Her words formed a lump in her throat, as her heart beat and breathing quickened. Even under the dim lights of the room, his cerulean eyes twinkled.

"What you doing in a corner?" he asked, towering over her small physique. She wanted to escape, darted her eyes here and there all nervous and trembling, but her feet were rooted to the spot.

"Naruto", she said almost to herself. "I... um... I...". She twirled a loose strand of hair behind her ear and fiddled her fingers around the cup she was holding.

"Are you having a good time?" Even when the music was blaring, she could still hear his voice- somewhere between puberty and manhood that she found strangely attractive. Everything about him somehow drew her in- his posture, his hair, the way he walked, the way he could even make an ugly sweater look good on his slightly athletic built. But right now, her thoughts was scrambled, and she wanted to say something. Anything.

"This punch tastes great!" she squeaked, and her cheeks started turning red at making a lame comment like that. But Naruto seemed to not have acknowledged it as such.

"Yes it is!" he said chirpily. Hinata perused the room. The dance floor was packed. There were even people dancing on tables, and the way they moved certain parts of their body made her wonder if she could ever look at them the same way again.

"You wanna dance?" Naruto's voice broke through her thoughts, nearly shattering the invisible safe boundaries she had built around herself. Her knees knocked against each other and she jerked her head in his direction, eyes wide.

"What?" she hoped she hadn't heard him correctly.

"Dance," he grinned. 'With me. Come on it will be fun." She shook her head.

"I don't know how to dance! I'm sorry."

"It's okay I can teach you", he insisted, extending his hand out to her. He was really eager that evening. She wondered why.

"No really Naruto, I don't dance", she said meekly looking down at her ballet flats.

"Fine then", he shrugged. "I'll keep you company here", and he leaned against the wall next to her, gazing down at her. It took every bit of her energy and perseverance not to hide behind a couch or faint on the spot. The music got quieter or maybe it was just drowned out by her heart pounding in her ears, his name floating in her head.

* * *

They were standing in a corner talking to each other, as Ino just looked on from the couch. Sakura hadn't noticed. But it didn't matter because something in her hurt. Was it her pride? Her ego? Whatever it was, she didn't like the feeling. She peered through the small crowd that had gathered around her- their backs to her- craning her neck for a better view. Sakura looked giddy, much more youthful than her usual uptight, follow-the-rules demeanour. Ino had planned to approach Sasuke the minute he returned from Tokyo, but Sakura beat her to it. She sighed. Normally she would always be ready to put up a fight if it came down to the boy, but this time it was different. She looked around her. For the first time in her life, she felt alone. For the first time in her life, things weren't going the way she wanted them to and the worst possible thing had happened to her- she was alone at a gathering. She hated Sakura, but something about seeing her this happy made her not want to hate her. The mixture of hurt and loneliness swelled up in her and she wanted to cry, but before she could, someone spoke to her through the dark cloud that was enveloping her.

"Mind if I sit here?" said a boy with a ghostly pale face that formed a stark contrast with his charcoal coloured hair. Ino recognised him. His name was Sai, a socially awkward student who spent most of his time reading books about experiencing things rather than actually experiencing them, the true definition of an introvert. But when it came to talking, he was quite blunt.

"No", Ino said hoarsely and looked at her lap again. Sai didn't try to start a conversation with her and for that she was thankful. But it didn't last long.

"Aren't you having fun?" he said, looking at her. Ino gave him a mental slap.

"I'm having an incredible time", she muttered, tone laced with bitterness. Sai nodded in acknowledgement, then took a bite of the doughnut he had in his hand.

* * *

After spending an ample amount of time trying to locate Ino by peering over everyone's heads, Choji grabbed a plate from the table and started placing as many food items on it as he could, for he was a boy who believed all problems could be solved with food. He walked around the table, examining the variety, and picked - two chocolate doughnuts, three sausage wraps, a fistful of barbeque chips (his favourite), two strawberry Pop Tarts, and some fish crackers. His face fell when he saw there was only one cup of chocolate pudding left, since he was hoping for two. But it was still not as bad as not having any. This must be the silver lining of his day, the fact that he could get the last pudding cup. He stretched out his meaty hand to grab it but only to realise there was another, much darker and skinnier arm, reaching for it. Choji turned his head to find a girl he hadn't really seen before, with red hair, her golden eyes staring back at him with a deadpan look. But before he could look back at the cup, she swiped it immediately with a smug look on her face.

"Looks like I got the last one", she said, smirking at him. Normally, if someone were ever to steal the last bit of food from right under his nose, he would be enraged enough to try to break the offenders arm. Sometimes it would even work. But this time, Choji was dumbfounded.

"You have anything to say about that?" she grinned, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"Uhh... you can have it", he could feel his hands suddenly starting to feel clammy and the room getting more suffocated, even though there weren't many people around him.

"Really?" she eyed the cup in her hand and then frowned at him, as if defeated in a very important match. "I thought you would actually put up a fight for it."

"Nah, not really", he sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. She blinked at him, but then shrugged and started shoving spoonfuls of the dessert in her mouth. Choji was dazed. She was so different, so foreign, and unique. Her light pink lip gloss brought out her chocolate brown complexion, and her red hair was gelled back. Even though he had never seen her before, she looked like someone who knew her bearings with unwavering confidence.

"This isn't that good", she scrunched her nose after eating halfway through the cup. "The one I usually buy is much better."

"Oh yeah?" said Choji, casually digging a hand in his pant pocket. "Which one do you buy?"

"Satoshi's."

"I like Satoshi's too", he nodded in agreement.

"The man really knows how to make chocolate pudding", she grinned and Choji could feel his cheeks burning. The music changed to a mellow pop song.

* * *

With the music growing softer, and Tenten's grip giving him the stability he never knew he needed, Neji perused the room again for Lee. It was an easy task to spot him with his bowl cut hair, and eyebrows thick enough to cover most of his forehead. But he was nowhere.

"Let's search the house," he told Tenten, tugging at her hand, who nodded and started manoeuvring through the crowd. Some were swaying to the music, some jerking their body parts in a way that made Neji nauseous by just looking at them. The room reeked of sweat, alcohol and excitable hormones. Neji shook his head at his own predicament. If it wasn't for Tenten, he would have left hours ago.

They had been searching for their lost friend for 15 minutes straight, even checking the kitchen where they found a couple having a vigorous snog session on the counter that only made them blush a shade much darker than the punch that was being served.

"What if he went home?" Neji turned to Tenten, who still hadn't let go of his hand, and he was beginning to understand that it had more to do with keeping herself calm than him.

"But he has to be around here somewhere", she fretted. "He can't just leave without telling us first." And as if on cue, they heard a voice boom over the music, all too familiar. They turned their heads to find Lee standing on a table- looking obviously too drunk to even keep himself steady- flailing his arms around, his cheeks flushed.

"MY YOUTHFUL FRIENDS!" he shouted. "IT IS A GREAT TIME TO BE ALIVE!" At this the others cheered and clapped, and he took a sort of sloppy bow. Tenten and Neji pushed through the crowd to get to him, but it was only when Lee took off his shirt and threw it in the air, and then reached for his belt buckle, did Neji realise he had to act fast.

* * *

"Hey there", he grinned sheepishly, but the intimidation on her face did not wary as she counted to ten in her head to stop herself from outright barking at him. But he deserved it, didn't he? After all he did lie to her.

"I can't believe you", she seethed, her clenched fists paling against her black pants. He got up from the couch, a little clumsily from having just woken up.

"Look I can explain", he raised his hands almost defensively.

"Oh yeah?" she spat. "Then explain how you came here with Choji and Ino when you refused to come with me." She could feel the blood rushing and pulsating, the heat rising to the tips of her ears.

"I didn't come here with them _by choice_", he emphasised. "They dragged me out of bed before I could even do something about it."

"Save it! You always do that!"

"I always do what?"

"Putting me last. You will do whatever anyone else tells you without even blinking, but with me either you flatly refuse or you have to think about it."

"It's not like that at all", he retorted, sounding slightly agitated.

"Stay here and enjoy the party", she said bitterly. "I'm out!" Without even waiting for a response, Temari grabbed her coat from the coat closet and stormed out, but only to stop a little distance away from the exit and onto the front yard, her boots digging into the thick layer of snow that blanketed the ground. She inhaled and exhaled, her breath forming an icy mist in front of her. She desperately wished she had brought gloves with her as the cold air started turning her fingers numb. She didn't care enough to block the wind by wrapping her coat tighter around her though. She was much too infuriated and hurt to be bothered by the weather. She never thought their relationship required any effort. It just started on its own one day, when she kissed him when he least expected because she was tired of battling with her feelings for too long. And then it went on from there. Every relationship was built on mutual trust and understanding, that much she knew. But whether Shikamaru was aware of it, she could never tell from that facade he always had of not giving anything much thought.

She heard the shutting of the door behind her and turned to find him standing under the light of the porch, looking slightly relieved, maybe from the fact that she hadn't left yet. Temari wished she could walk away immediately. But she didn't.

* * *

Hinata checked her wristwatch. Only 40 minutes were left till the countdown would begin. This was her chance. Naruto had actually noticed her enough that night to stand next to her, but in that moment she hated herself for not being able to initiate a conversation. She wondered if they were just going to stand there awkwardly- away from the crowd induced in a collective trance- all night. Hinata gave a sideways glance at Naruto. He was looking straight ahead with his hands behind his back pushing him lightly against the wall like a human swing. Hinata sighed to herself but Naruto mistook it as something she said.

"What's that?" he turned to her.

"Nothing nothing", she said quickly, and then looked down at the grey carpeted floor with keen interest.

"So, have you ever been to a new year's eve party before?" Naruto spoke after a while. Hinata's mouth suddenly felt dry, so she took a sip of the punch she still had and spoke quietly.

""Well, um, no... I've been to parties before but not really one like this." Naruto nodded in acknowledgment and started swinging on the balls of his feet again. A few more minutes of silence passed between them. Hinata could hear her heart thumping in her ear. It was amazing how she had gotten over her stuttering by reading aloud, and always hoped that it would never return. But whenever she was around the tall blond, she could feel it creeping up again at the base of her tongue.

"What courses are you planning to take next semester?" she didn't know where the question came from , mostly because Naruto wasn't one to plan anything, academically speaking, but it blurted out before she could prevent it. She mentally slapped herself.

"Oh, uh", Naruto scratched his head in thought. She observed how his new hairstyle made him look more mature, and brought out the edges of the side of his face, and his jaw line and the muscles in his neck... "Well I haven't really thought of it yet", he grinned, embarrassed. "What about you?" His attempt at keeping the conversation going surprised her and she could feel the surge of adrenaline soaring through her veins.

"I'm thinking of taking languages, or maybe English Literature", she said, tapping her chin in thought.

"Wow that sounds tough", he smiled running a hand through his hair. The faint glow from the lights behind him cast a shadow, making his teeth shine even brighter, and Hinata found herself in a daze. "I would never be able to get past the first line in a poem."

She chuckled at his honest statement and sensed that he was looking intently at her. And before she knew it, she was doing the same, tuning out the world to make room for the boy who made her feel free spirited and wild on the inside, the boy who broke her conservative boundaries, her shy demeanour, with just his smile that could cause flowers to bloom in the harsh winter of Konoha. And really, all she wanted was for the time to freeze. For the moment to last all eternity.

* * *

Only 30 minutes were left till the countdown but Ino had nothing to look forward to anymore. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and huffed her platinum blonde bangs out of her eye.

"If you're having such a terrible time, why don't you just leave?" she heard Sai say and jerked her head to him, looking obviously ticked.

"Why don't you mind your own business?" she replied, her tone scathing. Sai took out a book from his backpack and opened to a page that had a corner dog-eared.

"I'm just saying", he spoke not taking his eyes off from the page., "that if you don't enjoy something, you shouldn't get involved in it."

"Oh yeah?" she cocked an eyebrow. "And since when did you become such a know it all wise guy?"

"I've read in books." His tone was without any edge to it. "You should try reading them too." Ino sucked in her lips and glared at him, eyebrows furrowed.

"You don't know anything! You think your stupid books would help you on how to get through these years, but guess what? They won't because they are just printed words and not real experiences!" her nails dug into the inside of her palm until she could no longer bear the pinching pain and unclenched her fist. Sai, however, was unfazed. He closed the hard-cover book and put it back in his backpack, and then closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them again, he looked at Ino blankly.

"Books are written from experiences", he spoke calmly, each word of his attempting to shed a layer of her anger. "They guide you where you don't know what to do. But I've observed people often enough to know that they can easily hurt others with words, and so I spend most of my time reading. That doesn't mean I'm not aware of what's happening around me." He chuckled to himself. "Sometimes, you can learn very important lessons from them."

"Like what?" Ino rolled her eyes at him.

"If you don't get what you want, then maybe something better is right around the corner." Ino could feel the bubbling rage in her evaporate into thin air from her very being, but she didn't know how to respond. Her mind was boggled in trying to make sense of his words as he did nothing but stare at her without a trace of emotion. But the anger and loneliness and hurt inside her was being replaced by something she couldn't put her finger on. Something that swelled in her with a warm feeling, brushing at the slightly numb edges. Here was a boy who spoke to her the kindest words in her life, even more so than being called beautiful or gorgeous, something she had become accustomed to. But she had forgotten honesty, she had forgotten perceptiveness. And so without really thinking, she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.

"Thank you", she whispered.

* * *

Choji was now sitting on a green striped couch next to the fireplace with a plate full of food, but for the first time in his life, he was more focused on something else. Or someone for that matter, seated a little distance away, with her legs folded away from his body, but her head turned to him.

"A lot of people don't understand why I'm so obsessed with Chief Chef Japan", she spoke with a mouthful of quiche. "I mean, they use all the basic techniques and still make amazing, out-of-the-world kind of food."

"I agree", he nodded, putting a few barbeque chips in his mouth at once.

"You ever tried entering for it?"

"Nah", he waved his hand dismissively. "I mean, I like eating more than cooking."

"Hmm, I like both but sometimes my friends get on my nerve with my cooking", she leaned back, resting her head. "They keep coming over for free food until I started making disgusting looking slop and called it stew. They were bed ridden for a week with food poisoning and never bothered again", she laughed to herself, her eyes wrinkling at the corners.

"A lot of people don't understand that food can also be a passion", he said quietly. She looked at him with a bemused expression which led him to continue. "It's like art, like painting." Her face changed into one of mild admiration as she straightened up again, looking at him intently.

"You have your instruments and your colours and all you need to do is let it out", she spoke softly, which made Choji's insides twist and turn and then knot up. He didn't have to hide himself from anyone. He didn't have to feel embarrassed about how much he ate or how much food really meant to him. He recalled his father's words to him when he was a naive little boy, hiding on the roof with a bag of barbeque chips in his hand. _You'll meet people who'll appreciate you for you._ But never in his short lived life did he think one of those people would be a girl. A girl who shared his passion equally, and who was confident about it. No longer did he have to keep searching.

* * *

Being in almost every school sports team gave Neji instant reflexes, which came in handy in situations where he had to act before even thinking, because sometimes there were no seconds to spare for thinking. So he did the first thing that came to his mind- he grabbed Lee's arm and pulled, making the shirtless lad fall on his rear on the hard surface of the table with a loud thud. But that didn't snap him out of his drunken stupor. Neji swung an arm around his neck while Tenten took the other and the two of them led Lee to a safer place away from the crowd, as he shouted profanities in his incoherent speech. When they gently made him sit down on the couch, Lee immediately threw his head back and fell asleep after a night of being in an overly excited state. Neji sighed, and he and Tenten sat down on either side of their snoring friend.

"I'm glad you caught him in time", said Tenten over Lee's head. "It could have gotten him in big trouble."

"Forget him, it could have gotten us in a mess too!" replied Neji with a frown, his arms crossed. Only 15 minutes were left till the countdown. Neji took in a deep breath and then exhaled. The crowd was slowly breaking apart and less people were seen dancing. He really didn't like such parties. He frowned to himself thinking over the chaos everything had become in a matter of hours, and to top it off he still hadn't told Tenten what he had been planning for so long, He looked over at her. She was jiggling one of her legs, to keep herself busy probably, as she looked on at the others , the glow from the lights highlighting the red streaks in her dark hair.

"What a crazy night huh?" he mused with a small smile, almost feeling sorry for himself.

"Sorry I dragged you into this", she said with a shrug.

"It's okay. Who knows what Lee would have done if we hadn't stopped him."

"I guess we make a pretty good team!" she grinned at him and he felt something in the pit of his stomach jump.

"I guess we do", he half whispered, his eyes turning softer. Even with all the noise making his head hurt, all the times his shirt was at risk of getting soiled, all the times his own reputation was at stake, he much rather he'd be there than anywhere else.

"I'm glad you came though", she said, looking at her lap, as if trying to hide her face. Who knew he could feel this way like normal teenagers.

* * *

"I thought you'd have left", Shikamaru said, his husky voice carrying over the wind. She turned away, staring at the Christmas decorations of the neighbouring house with fused fairy lights and a blinking one eyed Santa Claus. Some people were so invested in the holiday spirit, but she was never one of them. She could hear his footsteps trudging through the snow, getting closer to where she was standing.

"Can we at least talk about it?" he said near her ear and she ignored the pricking feeling in the back of her neck.

"No", she said flatly. He sighed and then walked around so he could talk to her face to face since she obviously wasn't going to move. Part of the reason was that the cold was finally settling into her bones making her feel stiff like cardboard.

"I'm sorry", he said- flushed cheeks, his stare unwavering. "Ino can be terrifying."

"Then maybe you should just listen to her! Why bother even doing anything with me!" she retorted, eyes squinted with displeasure.

"You know, I'm new to all this relationship stuff." he scratched underneath his ponytail. "Sometimes I just don't know what I'm supposed to do with my friends and what I'm supposed to with my girlfriend." She was beginning to feel less infuriated. "I guess I wasn't thinking, which normally doesn't happen. I really didn't want to come here, but they didn't leave me any choice. I was gonna call you." She loosened her arms and let them hang at her sides. "In fact I should have called you. But then my phone's battery died. I was gonna explain everything as soon as you arrived, but then you were late and I fell asleep."

"I can't believe you just fell asleep like that", she scoffed.

"Yeah well I always find these parties really boring, which is why I try to avoid them, but then my plans sometimes don't work." he chuckled and she wanted to punch herself for believing him so easily.

"You know I was very pissed, and someday I will have my revenge on you", she muttered.

"Okay", he raised an eyebrow. "I guess I deserve that much. But don't you think you're blowing this a little out of proportion?"

"I am not!"

"I didn't mean to hurt your feelings! I'm sorry!"

"Well you should at least think of something to make up for it?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know! A free meal would be nice!"

Shikamaru stared at her incredulously and laughed, shaking his head at her. "You really are impossible", he smirked stepping forward. Temari only grunted, but playfully punched him on the shoulder.

_Ten..._

They heard everyone shout inside the house.

"I guess the countdown has started", he said glancing through the window. "Should we go inside?"

_Nine..._

She quickly grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Let's stay out here", she said. "Maybe we can see the fireworks."

"Your hands are cold", he remarked before rubbing them between his palms.

_Eight..._

Neji looked over at Tenten only to find her staring back at him. Maybe his plan wasn't going to go down the drain.

"Happy Almost New Year Tenten."

"Happy Almost New Year Neji."

They leaned in closer.

_Seven..._

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Lee shouted getting up, accidentally slapping both of their foreheads.

_Six..._

"I have tickets to a food festival in January", said Karui. "You wanna tag along?"

_Five..._

"Sounds like fun", Choji grinned. She pulled out two pink tickets from her bag and handed one to him.

_Four..._

"Would you like to be the subject of my art class project?" Sai asked hesitantly.

_Three..._

Ino was almost giddy with excitement.

"I'd love to!" she exclaimed, clasping his pale hand in hers.

_Two..._

"So Hinata", said her childhood crush. "You wanna go out for ramen sometime?"

Hinata tried to control the five year old girl jumping inside her, and gave an affirmative nod.

_One..._

Perhaps New Year's Eve parties weren't as bad as she had thought.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Would really appreciate your reviews :)**


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